The Stpehen King Effect

Teaching public school serves as an insight and experiment into the realms of memory and time. These two subjects have been the prospect of serious study and tawdry jokes for ages. So who am I to add any depth or breadth of knowledge to these dilemmas and paradoxes? I am just a junior high school teacher recording what I see, hear, and experience daily in my vocation.

I am no literary scholar, nor do I harbor any pretenses to be one. I am just a teacher. However, I remember the rise and zenith of Stephen King’s out put and literary success. It was cool to be immersed in one of his novels during class. Especially if there was a cute girl there. King’s novels were one of the few pieces of writing that you could read openly and not be crucified for reading by your fellow classmates. It was socially safe reading. It was an easy topic of conversation that could bridge social gaps in the cafeteria.

As I have said before, times change and so do tastes. In some ways this is good. Otherwise, Dacron would still be all the rage and fire insurance would be worse that it already is for homeowners. Such is the case for Stephen King. What his legacy will be in the future, I cannot say. It is not my place. I am not a literary scholar, nor do I want to be. I cannot afford more student loans to add more letters after my name.

Stephen King will at least always be remembered by the general populace. He continues to provoke thought and conversation by scarring the shit out of us. And we keep reading. But he has “blipped” on my radar lately. It is probably the latest round of standardized testing. Those test that students finish in a few hours, but are given the day to take. Thus, the end result is either voracious reading or equally energetic snoring.

It was during this latest round of agony that I noticed a change in the reading habits of some of my students. I noticed more and more Stephen King novels appearing in the hands of the student populace. This didn’t really worry or excite me one way or the other. Of course, I am overjoyed that any student is reading under their own volition. That’s a given.

But as a teacher of history, I am constantly amused, for lack of a better term, at the significance of individuals in history and the seemingly cyclical nature of history. I won’t ensconce you with a protracted philosophical inquiry in which is more prevalent and correct. Let’s just say that I have witnessed compelling evidence to support both camps.

I don’t know if this is a natural reaction after the final Harry Potter book has been published and voraciously devoured by the rabid audience. It might be. It seems logical. The novels of Tolkien and Lewis have been exhausted after the films sparked a resurgence in reading them. But why Stephen King? Why now?

I don’t know. I am not sure if there is an answer. And if there is, I am not sure it is really a good one. At least not good enough for a quest to be launched to discover it. Needless to say, the Stephen King Effect is real. It has occurred in my classroom. It is not so much the effect of junior high students reading his novels, as the “community” their action creates. A “community” that I am a member of.

It is an odd sensation being on the other end of the spectrum. When I began reading Stephen King’s novels in junior high school, it empowered me. Sure the stories were great, and some of the “down trodden” lead characters gave hope to a sad sack miscreant like me, but it was the actually act that held the notorious notoriety. I loved the raised eyebrows and imagined whispering that my reading palate elicited.

Looking at in perspective now, I am sure those teachers at my junior high school were thinking and muttering similar declarations and questions as I have rolling around in my head and mouth. Does it really matter that this trend continues through the generations? Probably not. What ramifications will be the consequence of reading these adult novels as an adolescent? Probably few, if any. Look at my generation…heh, heh, heh…

Philosophically, this does raise the questions about childhood innocence. Cynically, it can be refuted by spending thirty seconds watching one of out non-stop news channels, surfing the Internet, or rolling across the now digital radio dial. But, we as a country want to cling to this image. It is reassuring and calming. It puts the chaotic and sometimes vicious adult world into a little better element. We can at least say, “It wasn’t always like this.” Sure…Right…It’s only a recent phenomenon that our understanding of childhood has come about. I am sure it has something to do with industrialization and globalization, but I am not smart enough to fully explore these aspects and facets of modern life. Probably best that I don’t, anyway…

So where does this leave me? Same place where I began, but a little more wise, and perhaps with a few more “cool points” according to my students. Those few who were reading Stephen King novels after finishing their tests…We built a bridge. Hopefully it was another pier in the generation gap. Going around and checking on the students, I was able to strike up a small conversation with these readers. Casual remarks, such as “Don’t you think the mother is a real pain in that one?” rolled through the whispering. The looks, smiles, and replies that these comments garnered were priceless.